Can a Healthy Diet Help Psoriasis?

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Losing weight may help

Though many patients find that certain diets help clear their skin, or that certain foods aggravate it, no studies have established a definitive link between nutrition and psoriasis, says Neil Korman, MD, clinical director of the Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. “There’s no ‘Psoriasis Diet,’ but people with psoriasis should try to eat a healthy diet,” he says. “We do know that people who are obese are at increased risk for psoriasis, and that losing weight may help improve your psoriasis.”

“Achieving a healthy weight and eating more healthfully in general” are the goals when working with psoriasis patients, says Brenda Walsh, RD, an outpatient clinical dietitian at the Murdough center. Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease, she says, and “we know that weight loss can decrease levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is produced by the body in response to inflammation.” Increasing activity levels and dropping pounds can help lower CRP levels.